The properties and processability of plastics materials are subject to a number of influences. Factors such as chemical constitution, molecular weight and degree of crystallinity are clearly of primary importance, but they do not tell the whole story. Commercial grades of plastics contain reinforcing agents and fillers, plasticisers and lubricants, which may enhance one aspect of a material's performance whilst diminishing another. Accurate data on the performance of the most widely available modified grades are therefore essential when specifying materials for ever more demanding applications. The relative costs of materials may also be significant when large production runs are planned or if a number of materials meet the required performance criteria. All these aspects are addressed in The Plastics Compendium; a unique resource from Rapra Technology.

Volume 1 of The Plastics Compendium contains clearly presented data on 351 generic and modified material types, in the following main sections:

Property and commercial data sheets

An alphabetical trade name index

A listing of suppliers’ (or their agents’) addresses, together with telephone, telex and fax numbers, in up to 15 European countries and the USA

A detailed alphabetical index to the materials for which data are listed.

The property and commercial data sheets provide three types of information:

Textual information presented in the form of Advantages, Disadvantages and Typical Applications